Bush Food Field Guide · Forest, coast & scrub

Know it, or leave it.

How to recognise Australian native food plants, the toxic plants they get confused with, and how to prepare and cook them. If you are not completely sure what a plant is, do not eat it — and the surest bush food is one you grew yourself.

—Native food plants

—Plants never to eat

13 11 26Poisons Information · 24 h

Acknowledgement

Before you pick anything

The safety rules come first.

Suspected poisoning: call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 (24 hours, Australia-wide), or 000 if the person is unconscious or struggling to breathe. Keep a piece of the plant.

How to read a plant

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Do not eat

Plants that look like food and are not.

The law

Where you may pick, and where you may not.

General information only, checked against NSW sources on 1 November 2026. It is not legal advice; other states have their own rules.